§....§§.§§                                          §§..§§§§..
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§.§.§.§..§                                          .§.§.§.§.§
§.§.§.§.§§                                          .§.§.§.§..
§.§.§.§..§             #...~~~~~~~~...#             .§.§.§.§.§
§.§.§.§.§§      ####.~~ FERMI'S PARADOX ~~.####     .§.§.§.§..
§.§.§.§..§             #...~~~~~~~~...#             .§.§.§.§.§
§.§.§.§.§§                                          .§.§.§.§..
§.§.§.§..§ ON  EARTH (THE PLANET  WHERE I  LIVE)  A .§.§.§.§.§
§.§.§.§.§§ LOT OF  US  HAVE  ANTENNAS ON OUR HOUSES .§.§.§.§..
§.§.§.§..§ OR  BALCONIES,  WE   HAVE   BUILT  LARGE .§.§.§.§.§
§.§.§.§.§§ ANTENNAS  FOR LARGER BANDWITH,  WE  HAVE .§.§.§.§..
§.§.§.§..§     BUILD SPECIALIZED ANTENNAES FOR      .§.§.§.§.§
§.§.§.§.§§    SPECIFIC WAVELENGTHS (AND SENT THEM   .§.§.§.§..
§.§.§.§..§ INTO ORBIT), WE'VE  BUILT  LARGE AS FUCK .§.§.§.§.§
§.§.§.§.§§              ANTENNA ARRAYS              .§.§.§.§..
§.§.§.§..§ WE'VE  VIRTUALLY BUILT AN ANTENNA WITH A .§.§.§.§.§
§.§.§.§.§§         DISH AS LARGE AS EARTH.          .§.§.§.§..
§.§.§.§..§                                          .§.§.§.§.§
§.§.§.§.§§ WE'VE LEARNED  ABOUT OUR POSITION IN THE .§.§.§.§..
§.§.§.§..§     SOLAR SYSTEM, OUR SOLAR SYSTEMS      .§.§.§.§.§
§.§.§.§.§§ PLACEMENT  IN   THE   GALAXY,   AND  OUR .§.§.§.§..
§.§.§.§..§ GALAXYS PLACEMENT  IN THE LOCAL CLUSTER, .§.§.§.§.§
§.§.§.§.§§ AND ~OUR~ LOCAL  CLUSTERS PLACE  IN  THE .§.§.§.§..
§.§.§.§..§          GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS          .§.§.§.§.§
§.§.§.§.§§                                          .§.§.§.§..
§.§.§.§..§ AND  WE'RE  MOVING  AROUND  THE  SUN  AT .§.§.§.§.§
§.§.§.§.§§ VELOCITY AND THE SUNS MOVING AROUND  THE .§.§.§.§..
§.§.§.§..§ CENTER  OF  THE  GALAXY AT VELOCITY  AND .§.§.§.§.§
§.§.§.§.§§ THE GALAXY  IS  MOVING  TOWARD ANDROMEDA .§.§.§.§..
§.§.§.§..§   AND WE'RE BOTH MOVING ANTICLOCKWISE    .§.§.§.§.§
§.§.§.§.§§ AROUND THE GALAXY. AND WE  AS A  SPECIES .§.§.§.§..
§.§.§.§..§ HAVE LEARNED TO TAKE ALL THAT IN ACCOUNT .§.§.§.§.§
§.§.§.§.§§                                          .§.§.§.§..
§.§.§.§..§ AND DESPITE  ALL THIS, DESPITE  ALL  OUR .§.§.§.§.§
§.§.§.§.§§   (CLICHE) BEAMING OF FUCKING STELLAR    .§.§.§.§..
§.§.§.§..§ RADIO  PROGRAMMES  OUT IN  FUCKING SPACE .§.§.§.§.§
§.§.§.§.§§ AT  THE  SPEED  OF  LIGHT (LIGHT  IS OUR .§.§.§.§..
§.§.§.§..§  MEDIUM! GOODSPEED YOU, BLACK EMPEROR!), .§.§.§.§.§
§.§.§.§.§§      DESPITE GHOSTS HELPING AND THE      .§.§.§.§..
§.§.§.§..§     COLLECTIVE CONSCIOUSNESS LOWPASS     .§.§.§.§.§
§.§.§.§.§§   FILTERING, DESPITE OUR VERY OBVIOUS    .§.§.§.§..
§.§.§.§..§ BEAMING  OF  ALL  OUR  SECRETS IN  EVERY .§.§.§.§.§
§.§.§.§.§§          DIRECTION KNOWN TO US,          .§.§.§.§..
§.§.§.§..§                                          .§.§.§.§.§
§.§.§.§.§§ NO   .   ONE    .   HAS    .    ANSWERED .§.§.§.§..
§.§.§.§..§                                          .§.§.§.§.§
§.§.§.§.§§             #...~~~~~~~~...#             .§.§.§.§..
§.§.§.§..§      ####.~~ FERMI'S PARADOX ~~.####     .§.§.§.§.§
§.§.§.§.§§             #...~~~~~~~~...#             .§.§.§.§..
§.§.§.§..§                                          .§.§.§.§.§
§.§.§.§.§§              SO WHY IS THAT?             .§.§.§.§..
§.§.§.§..§                                          .§.§.§.§.§
§.§.§.§.§§ MOST OPPONENTS  TO  INTELLIGENT  LIFE IN .§.§.§.§..
§.§.§.§..§ THE UNIVERSE  SAY IT'S  BECAUSE YOU NEED .§.§.§.§.§
§.§.§.§.§§ A  CLASS ONE-OR-THE-OTHER STAR  AND  THE .§.§.§.§..
§.§.§.§..§ PLANET  NEEDS  TO  BE  AT  A  SEE-AND-SO .§.§.§.§.§
§.§.§.§.§§ DISTANCE AWAY FROM THE STAR  (LIKE THERE .§.§.§.§..
§.§.§.§..§           HAS TO BE A PLANET!)           .§.§.§.§.§
§.§.§.§.§§                                          .§.§.§.§..
§.§.§.§..§ BUT  REALLY  ISN'T  THAT   KEEPING   THE .§.§.§.§.§
§.§.§.§.§§      DEFINITION OF LIFE REALLY LAX?      .§.§.§.§..
§.§.§.§..§                                          .§.§.§.§.§
§.§.§.§.§§ I THINK EVERYONE AGREES THAT WE  HAVE NO .§.§.§.§..
§.§.§.§..§ IDEA WHAT WE'RE DOING  (AND  IT PROBABLY .§.§.§.§.§
§.§.§.§.§§                  SHOWS)                  .§.§.§.§..
§.§.§.§..§                                          .§.§.§.§.§
§.§.§.§.§§             #...~~~~~~~~...#             .§.§.§.§..
§.§.§.§..§      ####.~~ FERMI'S PARADOX ~~.####     .§.§.§.§.§
§.§.§.§.§§             #...~~~~~~~~...#             .§.§.§.§..
§.§.§.§..§                                          .§.§.§.§.§
§.§.§.§.§§ I'M GONNA  GO  SMOKE MY THIRD  CIGARETTE .§.§.§.§..
§.§.§.§..§ THIS  YEAR AND  TRY TO SNATCH SOME BEERS .§.§.§.§.§
§.§.§.§.§§         FROM THE LOCAL BEER THING        .§.§.§.§..
§.§.§.§..§                                          .§.§.§.§.§
§.§.§.§.§§                                          .§.§.§.§..
§.§.§.§..§                                          .§.§.§.§.§
§.§.§.§.§§                                          .§.§.§.§..
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